CONWAY – The 16-4 Coastal Carolina softball team will play five games in five days at St. John Stadium starting Friday. The Chanticleers will begin Sun Belt conference play versus Georgia State, Friday through Sunday and then will wrap up the homestand versus the Bryant Bulldogs, Monday and Tuesday.

Coastal Carolina

The Chanticleers began the week with Kaitlin Beasley-Polko earning her second consecutive Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week. After a tough loss last Wednesday at South Carolina, Beasley-Polko came right back and picked up two wins and a save during the Chanticleer Showdown. In her three appearances last weekend, the right-hander threw 15.1 innings, allowed four runs, and fanned 15.
 
On the season, the CCU hurler continues to be tough on the opposing batters. Beasley-Polko's numbers are top five in various Sun Belt pitching categories; third with a 1.69 earned run average, third in wins (9), fourth in innings pitched (66.1), fifth in strikeouts (54), and first in saves with two.
 
After dropping their first game of the Chanticleer Showdown to UNLV on Saturday, Coastal got a big win over Austin Peay by the score of 6-2. Stavi Augur hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to pull away from the Governors. Freshman Mackenzie Beyer sealed it for the Chants as she hit her first career blast to help her team go onto win.

In the rematch against UNLV on Sunday. Beasley-Polko picked up her ninth victory of the season as she limited the Rebel bats to one run, four hits on eight strikeouts. The Leonardtown, Maryland native was able to keep her  team in the game until the bottom of the sixth as her teammate Stavi Augur roped a two out RBI double into left center field, giving the Chanticleers a 2-1 lead and eventual win.
 
With the bats, sophomore Courtney Dean and junior Kassidy Smith are both in the top five home run leaders of the Sun Belt Conference. After coming second in the home run race a season ago, Dean has replicated her power numbers, as she is second in the conference again with seven home runs. Smith for the past two seasons has hit 11 home runs and so far this season the junior from Collinsville, Illinois is fifth with five home runs.
 
Georgia State
 
Georgia State comes into the weekend with a 2-18 record. On Wednesday evening, the Panthers dropped a mid-week game to their in-state competitor Kennesaw State by the score of 9-0 in five innings.
 
Georgia State had three hits in the game and center fielder Remington Hasty had two of those. Amanda Chance took the loss as she went three innings, four hits, four runs, three earned. Emily Soles entered the game in the fourth inning as she pitched the final two innings, three hits, five runs, four earned.
 
The Panthers have three players batting over .300 this season; Hasty (.345), Baylee Sexton (.328) Caitlin Ray (.302). Sexton leads the team in runs scored with 15 and seven stolen bases.
 
Soles was one of the top pitchers on the Panther roster in 2018 as she went 5-2 with a 3.12 ERA but missed most of last season to injury.
 
Kristin Hawkins was named to the 2019 Preseason All-Sun Belt team. Hawkins hit .268, two homers, 15 RBI overall in 2018 overall. In conference games, Hawkins hit .308 with two home runs and nine RBI.
 
The Panthers swept last year's shortened two game set in Atlanta and come into this weekend leading the all-time series, 5-1.
 
 Bryant
 
The Bulldogs come into the series with a record of 0-9 in the Northeast Conference.
 
Bryant last played in the Georgia Classic at No. 9 Georgia on February 22-23. 
 
In their extra innings loss to Belmont in game one of the tournament, the Bulldogs took the lead in extra innings, but Belmont put runners on first and second before hitting a single to bring home the tying run. The Bruins hit a walk-off double to end the game, 3-2.  Toni Cammarillo led Bryant game as she went 2-for-4 at the plate and picked up a run.
 
Starter Gabrielle Ermish got a no decision as she went the first 4.2 inning, giving up two hits, with just the one run.
 
A day later versus UMass, the Bulldogs fell by the score of 2-1. Alexandra Hickey came around to score the first run of the game off Marianna Politis' batted ball.  UMass tied it in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double to left center and then the Minutewomen took the lead with a bases loaded sac fly to go up by the score of 2-1. Bryant had a chance to tie it back up as Morgan Powell led off with a single but then was thrown out at home plate after a double by Sabrina Crane.
 
Ermish started as she went 5.2 innings, scattering three hits on two runs, one earned.
 
Ermish leads the Bulldog staff with a 1.88 ERA. The staff ace has given up five runs on just 13 hits in 18.2 innings.
 
This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Game times for this weekend
Georgia State -
Friday 4 p.m.
Saturday 2 p.m.
Sunday 12 noon

Bryant -
Monday 4 p.m.
Tuesday 1 p.m.

For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSB (twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.